Sixty U.S. Representatives call on Secretary Rubio to end military aid to Azerbaijan

Sixty U.S. Representatives have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to fully enforce Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act – demanding an immediate end to U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan, citing Baku’s ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s 120,000 indigenous Armenian population, continued occupation of sovereign Armenian territory, and illegal detention and abuse of Armenian prisoners, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Gabe Amo (D-RI) led the bi-partisan Congressional letter sent to Secretary of State Rubio.

Citing Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh’s (Artsakh) 120,000 indigenous Armenian population, the lawmakers stressed stated, “having faced no material consequences or accountability for its actions, Azerbaijan continues to undermine efforts to ensure a just, durable, and dignified peace in the region through its ongoing aggression against Armenia.”

The signatories urged Secretary Rubio not to invoke the waiver authority that has allowed successive administrations to circumvent Section 907, and instead enforce the law to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its crimes. Every U.S. President has invoked the waiver since 2001, until President Biden who enforced the provision in 2024.

The lawmakers argued, “amid Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression against Armenia, its continued abuse of Armenian POWs, its destruction of Armenian Christian cultural heritage, and its denial of the right of Nagorno Karabakh’s Armenians to safely return to their homes, the continued failure to hold Azerbaijan accountable would not only risk normalizing Azerbaijan’s actions – but embolden U.S. rivals seeking to take advantage of Washington’s inaction.”